


Normal life's challenge

by MCO



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 03:24:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3634830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCO/pseuds/MCO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha reflects on normal life, and Normal People when Pepper has an accident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Normal life's challenge

There’s nothing more humbling than everyday normal life. That’s one of the truth that Natasha discovered once she started to live a somewhat more normal life. Or more accurately to have friends that lead that kind of life.

Well, one could argue that Pepper Potts lead a life that is far from normal, but compare to what Natasha had known before, it really looks like it.

Because of her training, because of her life, Natasha always though that she could control any going and coming of someone life. That she could manipulate them into doing what she wanted. That she could hurt people, or protected people, whatever she choose or needed. That all of that, was in her control.

Hill wasn’t wrong when she nicknamed The Avengers Initiative "The Ego Team".

What Natasha discovered was accidents. Real accidents, not the one you provoked to hide an assassination and hurt someone on purpose. The kind that you couldn’t prevents. The kind that you couldn’t have when you had the life she had lead, where everything was calculated and where surprise happenstances were reduce to basically non-existence. 

Like people having their arm broken because two college kid didn’t pay enough while riding their skateboard.

(Natasha had research them. Deeply. Those two guys had no secret from her. They really were innocent and boring college kids)

And she didn’t know what to do with that.

Of course, she visited Pepper at the hospital. She brought her flowers, and a few mystery books. The businesswoman was a fan, and it looked like she will have time to read them, now. Pepper was a “lead by example” leader. She didn’t want her employees to believe she expect of them to work when they were hurt, so she took the sick days that she needed to recover.

(Well, that had been Darcy argument to make her take the time off to recover. Natasha had to admit, it was a good strategy with Pepper. This kid looks more and more interesting by the day).

She didn’t know what else to do.

Usually, when one of her friends was hurt, she take care of the culprit. Because no one she knew was hurt by accident, before. 

Here, she felt helpless, and guilty. She hadn't be there. With her reflexes, maybe, she could have stop Pepper’s fall. And She had nothing to do to easy the feelings. The two boys didn't deserve her wrath. It wouldn't be fair to beat them up. Even if Natasha didn't lack the will to do so, and really wish for an outlet to her anger. 

She could take care of Pepper, but that was Tony’s way to deal with his own feeling of helplessness and guilt, and as Pepper’s boyfriend, it was kind of his responsibility. Natasha couldn't steal that from him. That's not what friends do, she learned.

She wanted to help at Stark Industries. She had been Pepper’s assistant, once upon a life, and she could do it again. But Pepper’s team was efficient, and Pepper had a contingency plan in case something like that happens. Okay, so it was more “Evil Villains” oriented, than “Stupid Clumsy College Kids”, but the effect was the same, Pepper was unavailable but everything was set to work while she was absent.

Natasha wasn't needed. Worse than that. How things were organized, a new person in would be more of an hindrance than an help.

So, she visits Pepper, and she talks about everything and anything with her. She listen to her complains about the pain, and she tries to comfort her with empty words. It doesn't feel like enough. It doesn't feel like she really doing something.

But it’s really all she can do.

And sometimes, Natasha really wonders about normal people. How can they stand a life like that, where you watch your friends suffer and die, and you can’t do anything about it ? And sometimes, she thinks, that maybe, they are the strong ones.

At least, they don't seem to hate themselves for that.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this prompt on the avengers kinkmeme : http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/20598.html?thread=49922678#t49922678
> 
> As I'm still struggling in english, and I've not beta, I apologize for every mistakes there's left in this work.


End file.
